Rivian recalls R2 over loosely tightened battery-pack fasteners

Rivian has issued a recall for its R2 SUV after discovering that fasteners on the high-voltage battery pack might not be properly tightened — a defect that can cause a loss of power while driving, reports TechCrunch (TechCrunch).

The company says only around 14 vehicles may be affected and that it will repair or replace damaged components on customer vehicles as needed.

In an NHTSA filing, the safety regulator said Rivian first spotted the defect on September 17, when a “manufacturing operator” at its Normal, Illinois factory noticed a fastener had been “under torqued” by an “automated station” on the assembly line. Rivian investigated and reprogrammed the station to reject “improperly torqued fasteners”.

Rivian told NHTSA it “is not aware of any customer reports, accidents, injuries, or fatalities related to this issue.” Some Reddit users and RivianTrackr (RivianTrackr) reported the problem late last month; one owner said Rivian’s service department told them to stop driving immediately and the vehicle was towed.

This is the second R2 recall. The first, issued last month, concerned backup-camera visibility and was fixed with a software update.

The R2, which started shipping to customers this year with deliveries beginning in June, is Rivian’s first mass-market EV and is meant to help the company reach profitability. Rivian aims to ship 20,000 to 25,000 R2s by the end of the year, plans to add a second production shift, and says early demand is strong.